Confess on to Holiday
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day eight hundred and eighteen: Sue has never gotten the chance to speak of her deepest secret to anyone before.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 38th cycle. Now cycle 39!_

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><p><em><strong>INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - <strong>If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!  
>Go to: <span>gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet<span>_

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><p><strong>"Confess On To Holiday"<br>Sue & Brittany; Holly  
>Sylvesters Series #32 (sequel to 'Jack Frost') <strong>

The plan had been simple. Here she was, with an opportunity for a power move if there ever was one. Thanks to her… aim… Figgins was out of commission, Schuester was laid out on his Crisco curls, and she was now Principal Sylvester, with a replacement for Schuester that would finally send him packing.

Maybe she got power hungry and she overate… Either that or she'd miscalculated things when it came to Holly Holiday. But then she had been distracted.

The dinner with Joe and the rest of them, that had soothed things between her and Brittany for all of two or three days before she'd locked away what little smile she'd give and gone right back to showing nothing but disappointment in her mother for her actions. But then she hadn't gone and quit the Cheerios yet, so if she wanted to keep going, not let the last few weeks be wasted agony, then… she couldn't stop. Maybe she'd have to up her game… but to what point?

She must have been really deprived of attention since Brittany had given her the cold shoulder, because somewhere in the middle of her 'ladies' night' with Holly Holiday, she'd let her guard down.

"Expecting a call?" Holly's voice startled her.

"I'm sorry?" she looked to her.

"I've seen you look to your phone like four times, like you thought the light came on." She wasn't wrong. This hadn't been planned, and part of her had figured Brittany would call, looking for her… She didn't.

"Business," she shrugged it off, reaching to turn the volume up.

"Right…" was all Holly replied for the time, but somewhere in the quiet Sue knew she'd probably come back with another remark. "So, are you married?"

"Why, are you interested?" she joked, though technically she was deflecting. She didn't like where this was going. These were questions she'd been lying about long enough to fool most people, but there was something in her voice… "No, not married."

"Got any kids?" Holly went on, and it took all she had not to tip her hand.

"No kids," she lied. Holly didn't reply right away then. They watched TV, the conversation reverted to basic chatter, back on track… She didn't think much of her next speech.

"You know how I've made it through these last few years, moving from one job or city or man to the other when I needed to?" she asked.

"Funding?"

"Well, sure, and not the easiest thing on a teacher's salary, a substitute's one at that," she chuckled and Sue nodded. "But, no, the real thing is… observance, noticing the slightest of things, the signs, big or small that it's time to pack it in and hit the road. Probably comes from having been knocked out by a student. So, I'm observant. The littlest detail can make all the difference," she explained.

"Right," Sue nodded, never seeing the bait.

"Sometimes you see other things though, things that the majority of people would never see, that doesn't even have… anything to do with yourself. But what it does have to do with is… a student. A student, and you, Sue." The coach kept staring at the television. "You, I've seen you stare at this girl, even just in passing, and it's not the look you give everyone else. You care about this girl… a lot. That's why I asked if you had kids, for a second I thought she might be yours."

"Mine?" she played. "Which… which girl is…"

"The, uh…" she mimed to the back of her head to what Sue guessed was meant to be a Cheerio ponytail. "Brittany, was it? The blonde one, from Glee Club, the tall one. I mean she even kind of looks like you," Holly chuckled. "But I guess I was wrong, right?"

"Right…" Even she wasn't convinced of her own voice.

"Right?" Holly repeated, like she needed to hear it again… But Sue couldn't form the word, her lips… wouldn't go… She was tired… so tired… Holly was already one foot in her secret, and she didn't have the strength to push her back out. "She's your daughter, isn't she?" Sue didn't reply… didn't have to. "Is this some kind of secret, I don't…"

"You breathe a word of this, and…"

"Say no more," Holly shook her head, and her voice said 'I understand.' It must have, because all of a sudden Sue felt so very at ease. She realized now… if Holly knew, then she could do something she never got to do… talk. The only people who knew her secret had the last name Pierce, and she couldn't drop this on them. But Holly, in who she was, had all she could hope for.

"She's not speaking to me right now…" she found herself saying. "She does speak, at school where I'm just her coach, and at home it's just… questions, requests, not…"

"She'll come around. Kids her age…" Holly started, but Sue shook her head.

"I wish it were that simple. Let's just say I haven't been the most exemplary mother as of late."

"In what way?"

"'Let's just say,'" Sue repeated, so Holly didn't push.

"Are you doing it to… help her, or…" Holly shook her head. Loaded question…

"Sometimes I can't even remember…"

"I'm sure you'll find a way," Holly shrugged. It wasn't exactly the most detailed of solutions, but coming from this woman who'd divined her deepest secret and as of now only had part of the story, it did feel slightly reassuring. "Look, new house," she turned their attention back to Hoarders; she'd leave the other subject alone, hopefully for good.

Going home, she found the place empty, and now she remembered Brittany was spending the night at her father's… Probably why she hadn't called… No reason to miss her mother. So Sue had just gone to bed.

Morning came much faster than she thought it would. But then there it was, and she heard… television? She crept out of her room and then followed the sound to the kitchen where she found Brittany, eating cereal and watching… the weather channel?

"Morning," she greeted her mother.

"Morning… what are y… I mean, weren't you at your father's?"

"I was… but I asked him to drive me here instead of school."

"Why?" Brittany shrugged.

"Wanted to see you… missed you…" Sue nodded, a small smile escaping her.

"Missed you, too," she nodded. It was clear their whole issue wasn't over, but… no matter what, Brittany could still miss her… That meant something… something good… So maybe Holly Holiday was right… She might thank her, if it meant buying her silence…

THE END

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><p><strong>AN: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
><strong>**In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
><strong>******always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!******


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